Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages

The State Library of Queensland acknowledges that language heritage and knowledge always remains with the Traditional Owners, Elders, language custodians and other community members of the respective language Nation.

These webpages are provided to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the revival, documentation and preservation of traditional languages. Additionally, content such as wordlists and other resources help to raise awareness and promote Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

On the following webpages, visitors can find out about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, language centres and language resources in Queensland.

All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and dialects in Queensland are considered to be ‘endangered’. This means there are very few fluent speakers of the language. The State Library of Queensland supports community language revival activities through community workshops and the development of language resources including these webpages.

The Indigenous Languages Strategy and associated activities at the State Library of Queensland are supported through funding from the Indigenous Languages Support Program (ILS) from the Australian Government’s Department of Communication and the Arts, Ministry for the Arts.

Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is the preferred terminology rather than Indigenous; however proper names that incorporate 'Indigenous' may appear on these webpages. For example, Indigenous Languages Strategy, Indigenous Languages Support Program and Indigenous Knowledge Centres.